The present invention relates to an attachment structure for attaching a flat and thin battery (referred to hereinafter as a "film-shaped battery") to electronic devices.
A wide variety of electronic devices can be attached with a battery. Further, electronic devices include therein a primary cell, a secondary cell, a capacitor with a large capacity and so on in order to back up a memory used therein. The primary cell, the secondary cell and the capacitor with the large capacity are able to operate during a relatively short period of time in order to back up a memory of an electronic device when a power failure of a short period of time occurs or an electronic device is deenergized in the shopfront of a shop at night or on a shop holiday.
Examples of such electronic devices will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a video camera as an example of the electronic device. As shown in FIG. 1, the video camera is composed of a video camera body 1, a viewfinder 2, a liquid crystal display unit 3 for displaying date, time, counter, various modes, operation buttons 4 for switching displayed contents on the liquid crystal display unit 3, an attachment portion 5 to which a drive battery (not shown) is attached and a power supply terminals 6 connected to electrode portions of a drive battery.
The video camera has a battery compartment 7 for accommodating a memory backup battery 30 such as a button battery formed on the surface to which the drive battery is attached. When the battery 30 is fitted into the battery compartment 7, positive and negative electrodes of the battery 30 are respectively connected to power supply terminals 8 and 9 in the battery compartment 7 to back up a memory, such as data and time memory. The battery compartment 7 is closed by a rotating type battery lid 10.
FIG. 2 shows an electronic wristwatch as an example of an electronic device.
As shown in FIG. 2, the wristwatch includes a wristwatch body 11 having on its rear surface formed the battery compartment 7. When the battery 30 is fitted into the battery compartment 7 as its operation power supply source, the positive and negative electrodes of the battery 30 are respectively connected to the power supply terminals 8 and 9 in the battery compartment 7 to energize the wristwatch.
In this wristwatch, the battery compartment 7 is closed by the screw-type battery lid 10. Specifically, under the condition that a screw slit 10a formed on the outer periphery of the battery lid 10 is screwed into a screw slit 7a formed on the inner periphery of the battery compartment 7, when the battery lid 10 is turned, the battery compartment 7 is closed in a water-proof fashion.
FIGS. 3A and 3B show a so-called card-type remote controller as an example of electronic devices. FIG. 3A is a front perspective view of such remote controller and FIG. 3B is a rear perspective view thereof.
As illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, this remote controller includes a remote controller body 12, an operation button pad 13 having a plurality of operation buttons thereon, an infrared ray emitting unit 14 and a battery holder 15. When the battery 30 is set on the battery holder 15 as an operation power supply and the battery holder 15 is fitted into the battery compartment 7, the positive and negative electrodes of the battery 30 are respectively connected to the power supply terminals 8, 9 in the remote controller body 12 to energize the remote controller.
The above electronic devices suffered from the following problems.
The video camera shown in FIG. 1 needs the battery lid 10 to close the battery compartment 7. Therefore, if the battery lid 10 were broken, the battery 30 would be dropped out from the battery compartment 7 easily. Thus, the video camera becomes useless in actual practice.
The wristwatch shown in FIG. 2 also needs the battery lid 10 to close the battery compartment 7. If the battery 30 is exchanged, the user has to turn the battery lid 10 and to remove the same. After the battery 30 was exchanged, the user has to turn the battery lid 10 to attach the same to the battery compartment 7. This work becomes very cumbersome for the user. Moreover, if the battery lid 10 were lost, the battery 30 would be dropped from the battery compartment 7 easily. Thus, the wristwatch becomes useless in actual practice.
The remote controller shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B is not of the type that the battery 30 is directly loaded onto the battery compartment 7 but is of the type that the battery holder 15 is fitted into the battery compartment 7 after the battery 30 was set on the battery holder 15. This work becomes very cumbersome for the user. Further, the battery holder 15 makes the remote controller become complicated in arrangement and also increases the thickness of the remote controller body 12. Therefore, the battery holder 15 hinders the remote controller from being reduced in thickness.
Furthermore, this remote controller is deteriorated in water-proof or the like because water enters the battery compartment 7 from a clearance between the remote controller body 12 and the battery holder 15.